Proposed bylaws banning the use of electronic cigarettes in public places in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, are “ridiculous,” councillor Andre Chabot has told the Calgary Herald.
“We have become so Big Brother in what we do that pretty soon we won’t be able to wear makeup,” said Chabot, a former smoker.
“I don’t know where we’re going to draw the line in what might entice who. E-cigarettes have helped a lot of people that I know get off of the use of tobacco.”
One of Alberta’s top health officers, however, says Calgary’s proposed bylaws limiting the use of electronic cigarettes are essential to prevent youth from starting to smoke, according to the author of the Herald story, Emma McIntosh.
“Unfortunately, what we’re seeing with e-cigarettes is an increase in terms of the number of non-smoking youth that are reporting having tried or experimented with e-cigarettes,” said Alberta Health Services officer Brent Friesen. “We are worried, and this has been supported by at least one study.”
